Sociology of Migration and Diversity
Lecture 1: General course introduction
Conclusions
- ‘Three times sociology in fourfold’ as a way of linking the course – which addresses the main
questions in the sociology of migration – to sociology’s larger project
4 problems
4 paradigms
4 objectives
- At the most abstract level, the course is about problems of cohesion, inequality, identity, and
modernisation
- Sociologists will always look at social forces explaining a social phenomenon apart from policies,
and in interaction with policies
What is sociology?
Sociology is interested in how individuals create a structure relationship between individual and
society.
how do structures relate to each other?
how do the structures influence who we are?
SOCIOLOGY is:
- the study of society
- the scientific study of social aggregations, the entities through which humans move throughout
their lives
- the study of our behaviour, thoughts and feelings as social beings, covering everything from the
analysis of short contacts between anonymous individuals on the street to the study of global social
processes
(Some sociologists also see sociology as an overarching unification of all studies of humankind,
including history, psychology, and economics)
4 main problems examples
- social cohesion: what keeps societies together? What explains social order?
- social inequality: who gets what and why?
- modernisation/rationalisation: What explains social change, and why do societies change in a
certain direction (with more emphasis on instrumental rationality)?
- social identities How do our memberships in different ‘groups’ (e.g., gender, age, class, ethnicity,
nations) influence what we do, feel and think? socially constructed, different then 100 years ago.
Social cohesion
During violence/war more social cohesion because it forms bonds
,Hij wilde verschijnselen sociaal verklaren, die eigenlijk individueel lijken. Het is niet zo
individualistisch, maar gebonden aan sociale feiten. it is socially structured. It is different in
different communities (higher among Protestants, because Catholic communities have more network
ties).
Suicide is an operalisation of attachment/isolation.
Modernisation
Rationalization is the replacement of traditions, values and emotions as motivators for behavior in
society with concepts based on rationality and reason.
Social inequality
The class struggle is due to:
,- class structure: capitalist against the working class state of inequality.
- class consciousness: how different groups perceive each other (some groups are also not interested
in their true interests; why do some don’t protest?) the set of beliefs that a person holds
regarding their social class or economic rank in society, the structure of their class and their class
interests. It is key sparking a revolution.
Openness of strata how can you climb/fall in social levels.
Identity
The Looking Glass self: different people perceive you in different ways.
The 4 main theoretical paradigms dit nog terugzoeken in oude samenvatting Bestuurskunde &
samenvatting op stuvia
- functionalism: macro, consensus, equilibrium. explaining phenomena as the function for the
whole. There is not so much change in society.
- conflict theory (Marx, Foucault, feminist theory): macro, struggle, change.
- symbolic interactionism: micro, homo sociologicus, logic of appropriateness
- rational choice: micro, homo economicus, logic of instrumentality, equilibrium. self
consciousness deliberation of actors, they compare different things and then choose something
which is the best outcome. Sometimes we are aware of that and sometimes not.
De laatste 2 vallen in andere theorieen onder social action in Macionis.
Burawoy and the sociological division of labour
Burawoy plead for public sociology.
, Buroway calls it instrumental Leerkes calls it empiral-theoretical ( used to solve a problem).
Reflexive knowledge: to provide a mirror normative: what is right or wrong, how should the world
operate.
The heart of sociology is professional. There is a hierarchy, this is the highest. the aim is
developing theories and concepts. And test these relations/mechanisms.
Policy sociology: sociology theories help to solve problems given by government/companies in stead
of solely developing theories.
Critical sociology: maybe you’re contributing to power giving critics. Tries to point out that certain
practices & research reinforce social inequalities.
Public sociology: sociologist collaborate with non-academic social movements (NGOs, papers) etc to
help them identify as a social problem.
It is an interdependence interrelationship . They can reinforce each other, but it is often
the case that one takes over.
Lecture 2: Migration theories
Take home messages
1) Academic and policy ‘categories of migration’ are inevitable and valuable, but we should be
reflexive about them: they are socially constructed and somewhat arbitrary, they simplify, and may
negatively affect people’s life chances (e.g., because of ‘negative performative effects’ and ‘symbolic
violence’)
2) Different migration theories can be related to the four sociological theoretical paradigms in
sociology. They are useful – pfew - because they help us understand different types and aspects of
migration
3) Migration theories undertheorize the role of states and, relatedly, actor’s beliefs.
Categories
What is (inter)national migration?
o Migration = “the act of changing one’s usual place of residence”.
(But: What suffices as another ‘place’? To another street, neighbourhood, city, province, country?
And what constitutes a ‘usual place of residence’?)
o ‘Migration’ vs. ‘mobility’ Difference with mobility is that it does not involve taking up another
residence. For law the distinction is made from more than 3 months.
(But: Are international students migrants? Why does ‘mobility’ have more positive
connotations?)
o International migration = “moving across international boundaries from a country of origin to
take up residence in a country of destination”
